Creed Himalaya (Review) by Noirdrakkar

I haven't done a haul on here for a while, but I did sample some niche fragrances recently and I do want to make threads about them, to help the community decide what to buy and what to sample, and to have a healthy discussion about fragrances.

First of all, great bottle design (one of Creed's best looking bottles). But anyway, I've worn this fragrance for several days and I've gotten a pretty good idea of what it is from top to bottom. I'm a big fan of Creed, and I've tried a good number of their fragrances, so eventually I had to stumble on Himalaya. Before I sampled this, the general consensus I've heard on this one is that it is a disappointment from the Creed house fragrance and there's been a lot of criticism on it.

So, the basic rundown: Himalaya by Creed was released in 2002, with the concept of the Himalayan mountains (similar in a sense of how Silver Mountain Water in 90's was made to portray that). Creed is a niche house, which charges higher price for their fragrances, but they do use more natural quality ingredients. This was one of Creed's more modern releases to start off the decade after having successful releases in the 80's and 90's.

Scent - 4/5

It opens with a strong lemon note, some bergamot and a little grapefruit, just a blast of citrus with some pepper in the background. Then comes in the sandalwood midnotes. Sandalwood is usually a base note, but it comes early, to my surprise in this fragrance. The musk in the background definitely sets the mood of this as a masculine fragrance and the ambergris adds a nice little touch. Mainly, it's the sandalwood note in here that I like the most. I think it is one of the greatest sandalwood notes I've ever smelled, even better than Green Irish Tweed's. But the blast of citrus, while it was good, was a little too strong and took away from the other parts of the fragrance.

This fragrance is a dichotomy in both its simplicity and inner complexities, and as it develops, it becomes interesting. Some will find this too soapy and others will find this too musky. I think it's the perfect balance. The only problem with this one is that during the drydown, the sandalwood note starts to fade. Even the citrus starts to die down. The ambergris note is nice, but it feels like it doesn't particularly do much for the fragrance.
The fragrance loses some of it's luster and starts to slowly fall apart, but if you can find a part of your skin or some clothing to spray where it can last a little longer. It's unfortunate that it's a top-heavy scent because the scent is very nice.

As for similar fragrances, it is pretty distinct. Some people may conceptually compare it to Silver Mountain Water, but I compare it to Hamptons by Bond no. 9 (a clone of SMW, that's heavy on citrus notes), but a Hamptons with a sandalwood base. If you are a fan of the Chanel house, you may like this fragrance, as I find the overall vibe of this similar to the Chanel house due to both its clean freshness with a masculine gentleman-like base. Chanel could sell this, and if I didn't know better, I would ask "does Chanel make this"?

Originality - 3/5

Olivier Creed wanted the wearer to visualize the Himalayan mountains, the same way they did in the 90's with Silver Mountain Water. As much as I tried, I just could not envision anything atmospheric with it, to the same degree I did of Silver Mountain Water.

This is original in subtle ways, as it combines notes that are often normally not together. At the same time, I cant say this is daring or boldly unique. I can't say this has pioneered the industry in any direction. I can't say it has done something completely different from any other fragrance, but at the same time it's not a typical generic fragrance. It's original, just not very original.

Versatility - 4.5/5

This is where Himalaya shines the most. In my opinion, any age can wear this. It's youthful enough for a teenager to wear, yet classy enough for someone 30, 40, 50, and 60 years old to wear. I see this as a suit and tie gentleman scent as much as it is a scent that a young man could wear when he hangs out with his friends. This scent, at least the way I see it, is perfect for as a professional work scent.

While many of Creed's male fragrances can be worn by women, this one is a bit too musky for most women (but some woman can certainly pull it off, no doubt). This is great for the spring, summer and fall (I'm not so sure about winter).

Both traditional and modern, it's dichotomous, but certainly an enjoyable dichotomy. It is the best of both worlds, a perfect balance of old and new. Some may want a scent completely in one direction, or the other direction, but this scent manages to go in many different directions without being muddled or spread to thinly.

Projection - 2.5/5

The projection is excellent for the first hour or two but after that it stays really close to skin. This is unacceptable for a fragrance of this price. This would be an average projection for Creed, but terrible compared to any other company. I tried on many different parts of my body, and nothing improved the projection. Projection on my skin tends to be average, not too strong or too weak. But everyone's skin is different.

But I had to apply 4 sprays on this to create a reasonable scent cloud for an hour (most fragrances I only use 2-3 sprays of), because 1 or 2 sprays was just too faint for me. After the first two hours, no matter how much you spray, you can still only smell it very close to your skin. I mean your nostril literally has to be right next to your skin.

Longevity - 3/5

Longevity of this is spotty. Some days, I've gotten 6 to 8 hours on this, but most of the time I've only got 3 to 4 hours on this. It depends on a lot of factors, but the longevity doesn't mean much if the projection is weak and the drydown suffers. Yeah, you may be able to faintly detect this after 12 hours, but it will be ever so faintly as to not count for anything. I end the count for longevity at the point where it takes effort to detect a smell on your skin.

Value - 2/5

The price (and value for what you pay) is Himalaya's greatest weakness. The weakened drydown, poor projection after an hour and spotty longevity certainly hurt this one a lot. If the fragrance smelled like and projected like it's opening for 6 hours straight, there's no doubt in my mind that I would give it really high marks.

If this were a designer scent sold for $70-90, I would recommend this as a staple for every big collection, but as a niche fragrance, the standards are higher. For a niche fragrance, considering the price you pay, it could have been a little more original (on top of other complaints). The scent could appeal to a lot of people, but the price would only appeal to serious collectors.

$315 for a 4 oz bottle (and the smaller size bottles are more expensive per ML) is a steep price to pay for Himalaya. You can get this from trusted online retailers for about $140, which is a much better deal, but still expensive. If you have a lot of money, this shouldn't be too much of an issue, but for most of you out there
value is a big issue.

I'm not saying that this isn't worth a purchase, but there are probably a dozen other bottles that you may want to purchase first. This is by no means a bad fragrance, but it's just that the Creed house has much better offerings. After you purchase those other bottles on your list, however, Himalaya could be well worth the purchase.

Overall Rating 3/5 (not an average)

(This is a fragrance I really wanted to LOVE and give a high rating, especially because of its good qualities. It had a great opening and that sandalwood note was just amazing. In the end, though, as much as I love the Creed house, I have to be fair. This isn't a bad scent AT ALL. It's a scent that I actually like a lot. It's just that there are so many other great scents out there, that this kind of gets buried in the dirt. Which is good news for you if you really like this one, as you can have a scent unique to you.)

Verdict: Try this only if you are interested in exploring deeper into the Creed house. Otherwise, there are much better options that you can sample.

So, thank you for reading and I hope this helps you on your fragrance journey. Have a great day.

Re: Creed Himalaya (Review) by Noirdrakkar

Great review. Himalaya is my favorite winter office scent (GIT and Riverside for summer). I love the scent and don't agree with many here that say it smells generic. Versatility is definitely its strong point and it is very well balanced as is the case with many Creeds.

Re: Creed Himalaya (Review) by Noirdrakkar

I agree. When I first got into this, it was one of the first niche scents I tried. I first I found it "likable" and then the "dirty comb" or Aquanet drydown really just started making me hate it. It really stuck with me badly. I've never gone back to testing it and its one of the last Creeds I'd buy.

"As you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses, for you only get to play one round."--Ben Hogan

Re: Creed Himalaya (Review) by Noirdrakkar

Originally Posted by LucasKane

Great review. Himalaya is my favorite winter office scent (GIT and Riverside for summer). I love the scent and don't agree with many here that say it smells generic. Versatility is definitely its strong point and it is very well balanced as is the case with many Creeds.

Yeah it's definitely not generic. It's not as innovative as other Creeds, but it's distinct in a very subtle way.

Originally Posted by John E Buoy

I did read your review. Good review, and I agree with your assessment.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by ToughCool

I agree. When I first got into this, it was one of the first niche scents I tried. I first I found it "likable" and then the "dirty comb" or Aquanet drydown really just started making me hate it. It really stuck with me badly. I've never gone back to testing it and its one of the last Creeds I'd buy.

Honestly, I barely smell the drydown haha. It just smells like a dirty Hamptons lol.

Re: Creed Himalaya (Review) by Noirdrakkar

Good review. I guess it depends on skin, but I get decent projection from this, like 3-5 hours worth of reasonable projection for an office/work/school setting. As for price, I got mine for $125 with free shipping for 4oz, and I think that is a great price for such an awesome fragrance. It's an underdog in the Creed and niche world. I find myself reaching for it a lot, but I'll restrain myself from talking everyone's ears off since I mention my love for this in a lot of threads.

Re: Creed Himalaya (Review) by Noirdrakkar

Good review, I like this one and always enjoy it when I wear it which is not often. Though I get very good projection with this, it's anywhere anytime versatilty is a plus in its favor. I think I just find it a bit boring.

Re: Creed Himalaya (Review) by Noirdrakkar

Very nice and versatile scent. I find it to have excellent projection and longevity, as it can easily choke all the people in a car (and that is with 3-4 sprays, not half the bottle ) and lasts 8-12 hours, 4-6 of them with great projection. All of this is of course on my skin.
I do not wear it that often, as it it not the most exciting of scents, but it smells nice and clean, and gets the job done when I wear it.

Re: Creed Himalaya (Review) by Noirdrakkar

I like and own it. The drydown is my favourite part, when the ambergris starts shining through. I find it is adequately strong with no longetivity problems, one spray lasts me about 6-8 hours. It smells like an expensive soap to me, If you like soapy frags then it's a must try.

Re: Creed Himalaya (Review) by Noirdrakkar

Originally Posted by hednic

I think Himalaya is a very nice scent and glad I own it.

This. I like the clean fresh smell it brings. It's very versatile and can't imagine anyone being offended by this fragrance (unless over sprayed of course). I get good longevity and projection with it as well, IMO above average for a Creed.

I do see where other people are coming from in not being impressed or find it boring. I'm glad I own this one though.